


When You Need Someone

by MajorWolfe



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 05:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13116693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajorWolfe/pseuds/MajorWolfe
Summary: Jac can only spend Christmas at home with Emma if she has someone to look after her, Fletch wants something to take his mind off losing Raf.  Cue Jac & Emma spending Christmas with Fletch and the Fletchlings!





	When You Need Someone

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not entireley sure where this came from, but here it is. I've only had time to give this a quick read through, so again, please ignore any typos or errors!

“What’s this?” Fletch asked, he’d heard little footsteps entering the kitchen and turned to find Emma stood behind him, shyly holding out a neatly wrapped present.

“Santa bring it” she said quietly, “for you.” 

“For me?” Fletch pretended to be surprised, “thank you!” He crouched to give Emma a hug and caught Jac’s eye as she leant against the doorframe, nodding in response as he mouthed ‘thank you’ to her.

It had been a tough few weeks since the shooting, Fletch and his children trying to come to terms with losing Raf and Jac trying to recover from her own injuries, an infection after her surgery slowing her recovery more than she’d have liked.  

Although she knew she’d never admit it, Jac wasn’t sure how she’d have managed without Fletch, Jonny had done his best but he was already working extra shifts, had already agreed to work Christmas so Fletch had stepped in and Jac hadn’t even had to ask.  He’d picked Emma up from the creche when Jonny couldn’t, made sure she got to spend plenty of time with Jac and, when Jonny couldn’t have Emma overnight, it was Fletch who read her a bedtime story and tucked her into an air bed in Theo’s room that had been bought just for her, along with a set of pink Peppa Pig bedding, “I’ve got a house full as it is” he’d told Jac when she’d tried to protest at his offer, “one more isn’t going to make a difference.”

Once again, Fletch simply hadn’t taken no for an answer when he’d come up with a solution to another of Jac’s problems.  She’d wanted to be discharged in time for Christmas, had understandably wanted to spend the day at home with her daughter and not stuck in a hospital bed, so he’d spoken to Frieda, spoken to Hanssen, taken the compassionate leave he’d been offered after Raf’s death and told Jac she could be discharged, as long as she stayed with him for a while until she was fully recovered.

She’d tried to turn him down, tried to argue that she’d be fine at home, but Frieda and Fletch had stood firm, so Jac had temporarily moved in with Fletch and the Fletchlings, the master bedroom and ensuite now being shared by mother and daughter as, without complaint, Fletch moved onto the air bed in Theo’s room, still complete with pink Peppa pig bedding.

Jac hadn’t particularly been looking forward to living with Fletch and his four children, had expected the house to be loud and chaotic, but she’d been pleasantly surprised, mornings could be a bit mad as Fletch tried to get his four children and Emma, fed, dressed and out of the house on time. The evenings however, were a lot calmer, he seemed to have a routine that the children were happy to stick to, homework, free time, and a list of chores stuck to the fridge that none of the kids seemed to argue over. Even Emma seemed to love helping out with the same chores as Theo, most likely encouraged by the fact that, every Friday, Fletch would give his children ‘pocket money’ earned from their chores, and, since she’d been helping Theo, despite Jac’s protests, he’d insisted on giving Emma the same pocket money as he gave his youngest son.  Fletch was much more organised than Jac had given him credit for, clothes and lunches for the next day were set out in advance and Mikey and Evie seemed to know when the best time to shower was so that they didn’t get in the way of bathtime for Ella, Theo, and now Emma.

The children too had been nothing but welcoming to Jac, keeping quiet when they knew she was sleeping and trying not to bother her too much, even offering to let her choose what they watched on the evenings she spent with them in the living room.  She really didn’t know how she’d thank Fletch for everything he, and his children, had done for her.

She was broken from her thoughts by Fletch asking, “can I open it?” and she realised that, at some point, Fletch had lifted Emma to sit on the sideboard in front of him, and she smiled and nodded, her smile growing as he asked, “can you help me?”  Emma nodded again and helped Fletch tear the paper from the gift revealing a plain white box which Fletch carefully opened, “Oh wow” he gasped when he pulled out the mug inside, “did you do this?” he asked when he saw the picture that had obviously been drawn by Emma along with his name, messily written in purple crayon.

Emma nodded, pointing to the biggest, blue, figure on the mug, “that’s you” she told him before pointing to a little pink ‘person’ “and that’s me, and Mummy and Theo and Ella and Evie and Mikey” she pointed to each of the coloured scribbles in turn.

“That’s lovely Emma” he smiled, hugging her again, “thank you.” He put the mug carefully on the side and lifted Emma onto his hip, turning to face Jac, “now, I’m going to make pancakes for breakfast, do you want to help me so Mummy can have a shower in peace?” he asked as he looked at Jac, not sure if she wanted Emma with her.

Emma nodded excitedly and Jac smiled, “are you sure?”

“Course I am” Fletch smiled back, “this one’s one of the best stirrers I’ve ever met, aren’t you?” he gently tickled Emma’s stomach as she giggled and nodded.

Jac returned the smile, “thanks” she said before looking at Emma, “you be good, I won’t be long.”

“Jac” Fletch called her back as she started to walk away, causing her to stop and turn to face him again, “just so you know, me and the kids, we, well, we don’t usually change out of our pyjamas until after breakfast so…”

Jac nodded, “okay” she didn’t mind that at all, still found her pyjamas to be comfier than regular clothes, thought they were comfier over her still healing wound, “thanks.”

Jac heard the Fletchlings wake as she was changing into clean pyjamas after her shower, or at least she heard Theo bounding into Evie’s room, shouting at the top of his voice that it was Christmas, Ella waking seconds later, little feet racing down the stairs to excitedly ask Fletch if Santa had been.

Unsurprisingly Jac was the last one at the breakfast table, Fletch handing her a plate as she slipped into the empty seat beside Emma, her daughter already halfway through her own pancakes.

“You like them?” Emma asked after Jac’s first bite, the juice from the strawberries on her plate staining her lips.

“I do” Jac smiled, “I think Fletch is right, you are good at stirring.”

“F’etch say I’ma get big muscles” Emma giggled as she flexed her arms.

“Did he now” Jac glared briefly at him, “you’ll have to do lots and lots of stirring to get big muscles Darling.”

By the time they’d eaten Jac could almost feel the air in the kitchen buzzing, all five children desperate to be allowed into the living room to see what Santa had bought for them.  “Go on then” Fletch laughed, “go and see.”

There were shrieks of excitement as the children saw the huge stack of presents under the tree, Evie and Mikey reading out the gift tags, passing out the presents one by one, “fancy a brew?” Fletch asked as Jac leant against the doorframe, watching Emma tear the paper off the presents of hers that had been mixed in with those of Fletch’s kids, a soft smile on her face.

Jac nodded, “please, and erm…” she gestured to the presents, “thank you, you didn’t have to.” She knew she’d been to ill to do much Christmas shopping, just buying a few things online, token gifts for Fletch and the children who had accepted her and Emma into their lives without question, planning to spoil her daughter once she was feeling better to make up for it, but Fletch had beat her to it, making sure Emma had just as may presents as his own children.

“It’s not a problem” he winked at her, “while you’re here you’re part of the family, and just so you know” he leaned in closer, “most of the presents Santa bought her are from you” he said, knowing that most of the tags on Emma’s presents were ‘with love from Mummy’.

“You shouldn’t have…”

“But I did” Fletch interrupted, “now, go and sit down, make the most of being with Emma, and I’ll make us both a cuppa”

Jac nodded, making her way to the sofa, “thank you.”

“Evie?” Fletch was sat beside Jac on the sofa when he noticed his daughter just holding one present in her hand, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, “what’s wrong Darling?” he frowned.

“This” she said softly, gesturing to the present in her hands, “it’s from Uncle Raf.”

"I know” he said softly, “Essie found them, he’d already bought and wrapped them before… She wanted you to have them.”

Evie ran her fingers over the tag, “can I, can I keep this?”

Fletch nodded, “of course, if that’s what you want to do” he said, watching as his other kids all searched through their presents for their gifts from Raf, silently agreeing that they’d open them together. They opened their presents, Emma coming to sit on Jac’s knee, noticing the change of atmosphere but not really understanding, Jac kissing her daughter’s hair as Fletch asked his kids, “everyone okay?”

They all nodded, Evie wiping at her eyes as a few tears fell, “I just miss Uncle Raf.”

“I know” Fletch moved to sit on the floor, the kids all piling on top of him for a hug, “we all do, but he wouldn’t want you to be sad, especially not on Christmas, and not because of him”

The Fletchlings nodded, all taking a moment to nuzzle into their father before going back to their presents with a kiss on the head, Jac doing the same to Emma and sending her off to unwrap the rest of her presents as Fletch moved back onto the sofa. “Do you need to…” Jac gestured to the door when she saw that Fletch was barely holding himself together.

He shook his head, “no, I’ll be alright, I’ll…”

Jac saw the tears forming in his eyes, “take a few minutes” she told him, “get yourself together, get some fresh air if you need it, I’ll tell the kids you’ve gone to check on dinner if they ask, they’ll understand.”

Fletch nodded, “thank you.”

Jac shrugged, “you’ve got nothing to thank me for, go on, take as long as you need, I’ll watch the kids.”

Fletch got himself a glass of water before stepping outside, taking a deep breath as he leant back against the cool brick of the wall. He’d tried to avoid thinking about his own feelings, concentrated on holding himself together for the kids, on being strong enough to support Jac and Emma, but he felt so empty, like he’d lost a part of himself, Raf had been his best friend, at times he’d been more of a brother than a friend, he’d been there, they’d spent years living in the same house, practically raising the kids together. But now he was gone, and Fletch was never going to see him again, they’d never argue about who’s turn it was to buy the next round, never argue about who supported the better football team, Raf was gone and Fletch wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to the idea that Raf wasn’t just a phone call away.

The kids were all playing together when Fletch made his way back into the living room, smiling and nodding when Jac asked if he was okay, not wanting the kids to know anything was wrong.

Despite her protests, Fletch wouldn’t let Jac help with dinner, or with the washing up, instead she was sent into the living room with instructions to ‘chill out’ as all five children were given tasks to help him clean up, a job that was finished in no time at all.

They played a game of junior monopoly, Theo and Emma being helped by their respective parents, before the children all dispersed to their own bedrooms with armfuls of toys, Emma going off with Theo and Jac letting out a yawn once she and Fletch were alone. 

“It's nice to know you like my company” Fletch laughed. 

“I have more intellectual conversations with Emma” Jac teased before asking him seriously, “are you okay? After earlier?” 

Fletch nodded, “maybe I should have mentioned it to them, the presents from Raf I mean. It's just, I can deal with it, but seeing the kids so upset and not being able to do anything…” 

Jac nodded, surprising both of them when she reached out to squeeze his hand, “it'll get easier” she told him, “for all of you.”

Fletch nodded, “I know, it's… as awful as it is, we’ll all learn to live without Raf.”

“That doesn't mean you have to forget him though, you or the kids.” 

Fletch nodded, “I don't think we could if we tried.”

Jac smiled slightly before gesturing to the TV, “do you want to see what's on or…?” 

Fletch passed her the remote, “you have a look, I'll go and make us a cuppa. Unless you'd rather go for a lie down or something?” 

Jac shook her head as she turned on the TV, “tea would be nice, thank you.”

They settled down to watch TV once he came back, a comfortable silence filling the room as they both got lost in their own thoughts. Fletch only realised Jac had dozed off when her head lolled against his shoulder and he couldn't help himself as he shifted slightly to wrap his arm around her, smiling slightly and chuckling to himself as she unconsciously snuggled closer. The smile stayed on his face as Fletch gazed down at Jac, she looked much better than when he'd first brought her home, she wasn't wearing any makeup and whilst she’d changed from her pyjamas, she was only wearing loose yoga pants and a white tshirt but she still looked beautiful to Fletch. She didn't look so pale as she had just a few days ago, there was colour in her cheeks and she'd regained the weight she'd lost whilst she'd been in hospital and she’d washed, blow dried, and straightened her hair after her shower. It was then that it hit him, it probably wouldn't be long until Jac was well enough to go home, and he was going to miss her when she did. 

Jac woke a while later to find Fletch had drifted off too, they'd shifted on the sofa so they were almost laid down, Fletch on his back, Jac tucked into his side with her head on his chest, his arm loosely around her waist. She took a deep breath as she relaxed against him, she thought about getting up, of moving away, slightly embarrassed that she'd even found herself in this position, but at the same time, she felt safer, more comfortable than she had in a long time. 

She closed her eyes, hoping Fletch would think she was still asleep if he woke, and began to think about just how much Fletch had helped her since she'd been shot. He'd frequently stayed behind after his shifts so she could have an extra half hour in the physio room, and even in the time since she'd been discharged he'd cared for her, some days he'd practically had to carry her upstairs to bed, but he'd done it all without question, without argument and, most importantly, without judgement, and, despite the fact she was looking forward to it just being her and Emma again, she was surprised to find herself thinking that she'd miss Fletch being around all the time. 

She tried to keep her breathing even, biting her lip andtrying to stay still when she felt Fletch begin to stir, waking with a quiet groan and then a surprised, “oh” when he realised how he and Jac were laying.  What surprised Jac though was the fact that Fletch didn’t even try and move her, didn’t try and get away, instead he brushed her hair back from her face and sighed quietly, “I wish you'd realise” he said quietly, “that you don't have to pretend you’re made of stone, not around me.” 

Jac was surprised to feel tears pricking her eyes, she knew she'd let her guard down around Fletch, that he’d seen a side to her that no one else ever had, she trusted him, wasn't sure why, but she did. She hated feeling vulnerable, hated other people knowing that she wasn't invincible but knowing Fletch had seen her cry, that he’d held her as she’d broken down, carried her when she couldn't carry herself, it didn't bother her as much as she'd imagined it would. 

Reluctant to move from Fletch’s hold just yet, Jac was happy to pretend she was asleep for a while longer. But she couldn't stop the hitch in her breathing when she felt Fletch place a gentle kiss to her hair. If Fletch noticed then he didn't say anything as he continued to hold Jac close as she ‘slept’. 

Jac must have drifted off again in Fletch’s embrace, slightly confused as her eyes fluttered open briefly before closing again as she began to wake.“Back with me are you Naylor? About time!” Fletch chuckled, and even without opening her eyes, Jac could hear the smile in his voice. 

“Shut up Fletcher” she mumbled, still half asleep, lightly hitting his stomach as he laughed. 

“Are you okay?” he asked when Jac didn't seem to be moving, he wasn't complaining at all, but he'd imagined she'd have been up like a shot as soon as she'd woken, as soon as shed realised just how close they were. 

Jac nodded, her head still against Fletch’s chest, “if I'd have known you were this comfortable I'd have made you be my mattress when I was in hospital. 

Fletch laughed, “well I'm glad I can be of service Madam.”

Jac would never have described herself as the sort of person that was fond of physical contact, she could cuddle her daughter for days but when it came to other relationships, cuddles just weren't her thing, so she was surprised to feel almost disappointed when, a few minutes later, Fletch asked her if she could sit up so he could go to the loo. She groaned slightly as she sat up, her muscles stiff after not moving for so long. 

“Careful” Fletch helped her to sit up, “alright?” 

Jac nodded, “yeah, thanks” she gestured to the empty mugs on the table, “do you want another?”

Fletch nodded, “I'll make them when I come back.” 

Jac shook her head as she stood up, taking a moment to get her balance, “I'm sure I can manage to make us two cups of tea” she told him as she bent carefully to get the mugs. 

She was back on the sofa when Fletch came back, two mugs on the coffee table as Fletch told her that all the kids had fallen asleep, Theo and Emma on Theo’s bedroom floor, but he'd moved them both into the bed. 

“Do you erm…” Fletch looked at Jac, “are you comfortable or…” he seemed unusually nervous as he held out his arms to her. 

Jac bit her lip before shuffling closer, letting Fletch wrap his arms around her as she made herself comfortable. “Why are you doing this?” she asked as she sipped at her tea. 

Fletch sighed, “is it too hard for you to believe that people do care about you?” he asked. “You've just had major surgery Jac, whether you like it or not, you need help, and you deserve that help, no matter what you think, you deserve to have someone take care of you when you need help, you don't need to struggle along on your own. Whether you're having a panic attack in your office or you need someone to watch Emma because you're not well, I don't mind Jac, I'm never going to judge you for being human, for needing someone.”

“Is that how you see me? As some sort of charity case?” 

“Not at all” Fletch sounded slightly hurt, “You're a strong woman Jac, a fantastic surgeon and the best Mummy that Emma could ask for, but you're still human Jac, and it's okay if you need someone else to take some of the weight from your shoulders now and again, if you need someone to help you and…”

“Fletcher” Jac interrupted him, turning slightly in his embrace, “shut up.” 

“I…”

“I said shut up” Jac repeated before reaching up to kiss his lips gently. 

“Jac” Fletch whispered, “I…” 

She put her finger on his lips, “tell me if you want me to stop” she said before kissing him again, getting no protest from Fletch. “Sorry” she pulled away after a few more moments, gesturing to her chest, the position she'd twisted into not the most comfortable. 

Fletch said nothing but shifted slightly on the sofa, shifting Jac slightly so she was sat beside him, her legs draped over his thighs, “okay?” he asked, getting a nod in response before he leant in to kiss her again, cupping her cheek in his hand as their lips met, “Merry Christmas Naylor” he mumbled, their foreheads resting together once they'd parted for air. 

Jac smiled and shook her head slightly, “Merry Christmas Fletcher.”


End file.
